Synthetic skin for recording and modulating physiological activities

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10695555-B2
Application number	US-201615542042-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2016
Priority date	Jan 8, 2015
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

A method produces a device adapted to be implanted into the human body for purposes such as neural stimulation, sensing or the like. The method includes: providing a stretchable layer or membrane of an insulating material; forming on the layer or membrane at least one stretchable conductive path; depositing at least one small bolus of a soft and conductive paste or material onto pre-defined areas or portions of the at least one conductive path, and inserting a first end portion of a conductive element 71 into the at least one bolus of soft conductive paste or material. A second end portion of the conductive element opposite to the first end portion is not inserted into the at least one bolus.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing a device adapted to be implanted into the human body, said method comprising:
providing a stretchable layer or membrane of an insulating material;
forming on said layer or membrane at least one stretchable conductive path;
depositing at least one small bolus of a soft and conductive paste or material onto pre-defined areas or portions of said at least one conductive path;
inserting a first end portion of a conductive element into said at least one small bolus of soft conductive paste or material, wherein:
a second end portion of said conductive element opposite to said first end portion is not inserted into said at least one bolus;
said at least one small bolus of soft and conductive paste or material is composed of a blend of electrically conductive nano-micro particles, an elastomer pre-polymer and a crosslinker; and
crosslinking said elastomer pre-polymer, thereby obtaining a blend of the electrically conductive nano-micro particles and a crosslinked elastomer.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said method further comprises providing at least one further electrical device in electrical contact with said second end portion of said at least one conductive element.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein said at least one further electrical device comprises one of an electrical wire, a PCB, or a chip.

4. The method according to claim 3 , said method comprising stripping off insulation of a conductive wire and inserting a resulting exposed end portion of said conductive wire into said at least one bolus of soft conductive paste.

5. The method according to claim 2 , said method further comprising flooding said at least one further electrical device with a viscous elastomer.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein said viscous elastomer comprises one of a silicone elastomer or a similar insulating polymer.

7. The method according to claim 5 , said method further comprising curing said elastomer so as to polymerise said elastomer, thus forming an electrically insulating package that mechanically stabilises said at least one electrical device and immobilises both said at least one electrical device and said conductive element and prevents the conductive paste or material from flowing out of said package or shorting said conductive element.

8. The method according to claim 6 , said method further comprising exposing at least one portion of said at least one electrical device comprising contact pads or electrodes.

9. The method according to claim 1 , said method further comprising forming in said layer or membrane at least one microfluidic channel adapted to deliver and/or collect fluids.

10. The method according to claim 1 , said method further comprising embedding in said layer or membrane at least one waveguide.

11. The method according to claim 1 , said method comprising forming at least one passivation layer on said at least one conductive path and forming at least one through via in said at least one passivation layer so as to expose at least one of said predefined areas or portions of said at least one conductive paths.

12. A device adapted to be implanted into the human body, said device comprising:
a stretchable layer or membrane of an insulating material;
at least one stretchable conductive path on said layer or membrane;
at least one small bolus of a soft and conductive paste or material onto pre-defined areas or portions of said at least one conductive path, wherein said small bolus of soft conductive paste or material is composed of a blend of electrically conductive nano-micro particles and a crosslinked elastomer; and
a conductive element, a first end portion of said conductive element being inserted into said at least one bolus of soft conductive paste or material, wherein a second end portion of said conductive element opposite to said first end portion is not inserted into said at least one bolus.

13. The device according to claim 12 , wherein said device further comprises at least one further electrical element in electrical contact with soft conductive paste or material with a portion of said at least one further electrical element inserted into an external electrical device.

14. The device according to claim 13 , wherein said at least one further electrical device comprises one of an electrical wire, a PCB, and a chip.

15. The device according to claim 13 , wherein said at least one further electrical device is embedded in a viscous elastomer.

16. The device according to claim 15 , wherein said viscous elastomer comprises one of a silicone elastomer or a similar insulating polymer.

17. The device according to claim 16 , wherein said further electrical device comprises at least one exposed portion comprising contact pads, electrodes or the like.

18. The device according to claim 15 , said device further comprises a package formed by curing and polymerizing said elastomer, said package thus electrically insulating and mechanically stabilising said at least one further electrical device.

19. The device according to claim 12 , said device further comprising at least one microfluidic channel adapted to deliver and/or collect fluids and formed in said layer or membrane.

20. The device according to claim 12 , said device further comprising at least one waveguide embedded in said layer or membrane.

21. The device according to claim 12 , said device comprising at least one passivation layer on said at least one conductive path and at least one through via in said at least one passivation layer so as to expose at least one of said predefined areas or portions of said at least one conductive path.

22. A method for producing a device adapted to be implanted into the human body, said method comprising:
providing a stretchable layer or membrane of an insulating material;
forming on said layer or membrane a stretchable conductive path;
forming a passivation layer on said conductive path;
forming a through via in said passivation layer, the through via exposing a portion of said conductive path;
depositing a bolus of a soft and conductive material into the through via and onto the exposed portion of said conductive path;
inserting a first end portion of a conductive element into said at least one small bolus of soft conductive paste or material, wherein:
a second end portion of said conductive element opposite to said first end portion is not inserted into said at least one bolus;
said at least one small bolus of soft and conductive paste or material is composed of a blend of electrically conductive nano-micro particles, an elastomer pre-polymer and a crosslinker; and

crosslinking said elastomer pre-polymer, thereby obtaining a blend of the electrically conductive nano-micro particles and a crosslinked elastomer.

Assignees

• Ecole Polytechnique Fed Lausanne Epfl

Inventors

• Minev Ivan Rusev
• Hirsch Arthur
• Musienko Pavel
• Courtine Grégoire
• Lacour Stephanie P

Classifications

• H10W70/68

  Shapes or dispositions thereof · CPC title

• H10W70/65

  Shapes or dispositions of interconnections · CPC title

• H10W90/701

  characterised by the relative positions of pads or connectors relative to package parts · CPC title

• H10W70/688

  Flexible insulating substrates · CPC title

• A61B5/24

  Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof · CPC title